Rail-joint.



N0. 831,581. PATENTED SEPT. 25, 1906.

W. P. & S. G. THOMSON. RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED D110. 28. 1905.

WITNESSES INVENTORS Rm: PETERS cc., wlsmucmu D r:

UNITED PATENT oEEioE.

W'ILLIAM P. THOMSON, OF LANSDOWVNE, AND SAMUEL Gr. THOMSON, OF ALTOONA,PENNSYLVANIA.

RAlL-dOlNT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 25, 1906.

Original application filed February 12, 1905, Serial No. 245,683.Divided and this application filed December 28, 1905.

Serial No.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM I. THOM- SON, of Lansdowne, Delawarecounty, and SAMUEL G. THOMSON, of Altoona, Blair county, Pennsylvania,have invented a new and useful Rail-Joint, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in whichFigure 1 and Fig. 2 of the drawings are cross-sections showing differentforms of our invention.

Our invention relates to that type of rail-' joints wherein splice-barsare provided with depending flanges which extend below the rail-base,the present application being a division of our application, Serial No.245,683, iiled February 12, 1.905.

The depending flanges of the splice-bars extend. between the ties andmay be of any desired length.

The object of our invention is to increase the moment of resistance andto provide a stifl'er joint and one in which the splice-bars are of suchsection that they may be readily rolled or otherwise formed; also, tostrengthen and improve the shape of the depending flange to preventbuckling under strains.

In Fig. 1 we show the splice-bars 2 as provided with dependinginwardly-inclined flanges 3 3, which are gradually increased inthickness toward their lower ends, forming enlargements or heads 4, theincrease in thickness being preferably at both sides of the centralplanes of the flanges.

In Fig. 2 we show the flanges 3 as depending in a vertical direction andas being gradually thickened to form the enlargements or heads 4". Inthis form the faces of the flanges are shown as being inwardly curved orconcave.

The advantages of our invention result from the formation of theenlrrgement or head at the lower portion of the depending flanges by thegradual increase in the thickness of the metal. These heads orenlargements are thus formed with a minimum amount of metal and verylcrgely increase the moment of resistance and give a stifl'er bar for agiven amount of metal. The splicebar thus formed has a head along bothedges upon the same member, as a T-rail or I- beam, which gives thegreatest stifl'ness both vertically and laterally and greatly reducesthe liability of buckling under load. The splice-bars are, moreover, ofsuch shape in. cross-section that they may be readily rolled.

Although we have shown our invention as applied to T-rails, it isequally applicable to girder-rails.

l/Vhat we claim is 1. A splice-bar for rails having a freelydependingflange to extend below the base 01' the rail, said flange graduallyincreasing in thickness toward its lower end.

2. A splice-bar for rails having a freelydepending flange to extendbelow the base of the rail, said flange being vertical and stiflened atits lower portion and of a different cross-section than that of thesplice-bar portion proper.

3. A splice-bar for rails having a freely- (lepending flange to extend.below the base of the rail, said flange having a curvilinear face andstifl'ened at its lower portion by gradually increasing its thickness,uniformly at both sides of its central plane.

4. A splice-bar for rails having a depending flange to extend below thebase of the rail, said flange having a curvilinear face and. stifll'enedon the inside at or near its lower enc 5. A splice-bar for rails havinga freelydepending flange to extend below the base of the rail, saidflange being increased in thickness toward its lower end at both sidesof its central plane.

6. A splice-bar for rails having a freelydepending flange to extendbelow the base of the rail, said flange being thickened toward its lowerend uniformly upon both sides of its central plane, and havingcurvilinear sides.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

WILLIAM P. THOMSON. SAMUEL G. THOMSON. Witnesses as to W. 1?. Thomson:

FEReUs F. INIAOWILKIE, HELEN B. LEnMAN. Witnesses as to S. G. Thomson:

H. H. BAKER, L. B; NOKESTINE.

